


How He Fell

by Ruenis



Series: Aldnoah.Zero Domestic One-shots [5]
Category: Aldnoah.Zero (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, One Shot Collection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-01
Updated: 2016-06-01
Packaged: 2018-07-11 15:06:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7057378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ruenis/pseuds/Ruenis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Slaine himself is not quite sure when he fell, but he remembers certain events leading up to it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	How He Fell

When he first met _her_ , she was shining.

Dazzling.

_Blinding._

She was an impossibly bright light in his newly darkened world; his father had died a few weeks ago, on some excursion that Asseylum's grandfather commissioned. They did not go into details: as he understood it, an accident and several vehicles were involved, and it had not been especially painful.

They could have sent him back to his home country. They could have sent him to an orphanage, kicked him out, left him in the cold.

Asseylum convinced her grandfather to allow Slaine to stay – to act as her personal tutor, was the reasoning – and saved him from what most likely would have been his end. She earned him a room, food, clothing, and all he had to do in return was teach her and help her study.

That was the first time he knew he had fallen in love.

Not in a romantic way – _never in a romantic way_ – but in the same way he had fallen in love with plants and nature.

She was pure, removed from the world, untainted – _he would_ never _call her na_ _ï_ _ve_ – in such a way that it was almost _appalling_ to meet someone so good-minded. She saw good in everything, in everyone..

She _saved_ him.

* * *

 

Slaine would be lying if he said he was not confused as to why they would finish their schooling in Japan. He knew _she_ wanted to travel, and that she had a special interest in the island – apparently, their way of life and the culture intrigues her – but did not understand why they would be doing so _now_. He only has a year left, and Asseylum has two more.

“Are we really going?” Slaine asks, speaking to her in a soft tone so as to not be overheard, “We can wait another year. You're almost finished with school, and I can get a job..” He shifts his weight nervously, not liking the idea of being in a foreign country where the girl could get hurt at any time.

_I'd be responsible, and they would.._

Grinning at the older blond, Asseylum gently takes Slaine's hands in her own as she shakes her head, “It's fine!” Her chipper voice would usually be soothing, but right now, it is having the adverse effect. She hums softly, stroking the tops of Slaine's hands with her thumbs in an attempt to reassure him. “All expenses will be paid for. We will both finish school and return here in two year's time.”

The blond bites the inside of his cheek, frowning somewhat.

_If nothing else, I suppose we should be grateful we've studied Japanese._

* * *

 

“W.. wait, wait,” Slaine says, pulling on Asseylum's hand with the gentlest of touches, “Eddelrittuo is coming with us? You didn't mention her before.”

Asseylum tilts her head somewhat, looking a bit surprised, “Of course. She comes with me everywhere.”

The statement is not untrue, but..

“So.. she's going to live with us in Japan..?” Slaine asks, fighting the instinctive urge to frown at the current situation.

They do not get along. At all.

Not that Asseylum knows; both of them have agreed on keeping their bickering and arguing out of ear from her.

“Yes. She is my handmaiden, after all,” Asseylum hums, smiling at the other, “She will be staying in an apartment with me, of course.”

_That makes sense, but.._

“I see,” Slaine finally says, forcing a smile.

* * *

 

Kaizuka Inaho is very, _very_ odd.

Slaine realises that the very first day of school, when the brunet walks into his physics class and sits in the empty chair beside him.

“I don't recognise you,” Inaho murmurs, causing Slaine to turn and look at him.

“I'm new,” Slaine says curtly, raising an eyebrow as he gazes at the brunet.

_He doesn't 'recognise' me? Does he know every single person's face here?_

Inaho looks younger, and is just a bit smaller than himself. He looks completely normal other than the fact that his face is impossible to read.

_I've never seen someone so apathetic._

“You transferred here for your last year of schooling?” Inaho questions, setting his bag on his desk's top, not removing anything. His body language is hard to read as well; his hands rest limply on his lap, and although he is turned to face the blond, he does not seem at all approachable.

“It's not very polite to ask questions of someone when you aren't properly introduced,” Slaine mumbles, already irked by the brunet.

“Kaizuka Inaho,” Inaho offers.

“.. Slaine Troyard,” Slaine murmurs. Even if he did not give his name, he assumes the teacher will make him introduce himself like all the others did.

_It's better to just appease him now and get over it._

“So, Slaine, you transferred here for your last year of schooling?” Inaho asks again.

Slaine feels his face go red, indignant.

_You have to be kidding me._

“I'm moving,” Slaine hisses, grabbing his bag and doing just that.

 

 

 

“I can't believe this,” Slaine whispers through his teeth, hands balling up into tight fists.

The teacher had sat him next to this _weirdo_ , not in the same exact spot, but in the rows closest to the door.

Inaho gazes at the blond, expression still stone. “You're unhappy being seated next to me,” he murmurs, not looking the least bit offended or angry.

“Because you're _weird_ ,” Slaine hisses, glaring at the brunet, “We've barely spoken, and I can already tell you're..–”

“Abnormal,” Inaho points out quietly, earning a surprised look from the blond.

_He's aware?_

“I'm well aware.”

Slaine goes silent.

* * *

 

As it turns out, Asseylum is also acquainted with Inaho. They share a literature class. And, unlike Slaine, she is quite taken with him.

“He's nice,” Asseylum hums, earning a slight frown from the older blond.

Slaine has tried to refrain from speaking to the brunet unless absolutely necessary since that awkward moment on their first day together.

It has been two weeks – two awkward, odd weeks, and Inaho has not spoken to him, either.

“He helps me in class,” Asseylum continues, causing Slaine to look up instantly, hurt flickering across his features.

“You're having trouble? I could help you,” he says, grip tightening on his spoon. She should not have to rely on others when she has him – _has_ had him for the past five years.

The blonde quickly shakes her head, smiling gently, “No, no, not that kind of trouble. He introduced me to some of his friends in class. Two girls and a boy. Two of them are foreigners, like us: Nina and Calm.” She leans forward slightly, placing her hand over Slaine's, smoothing his tensed hand, “If we're going to be here for two years, it would be nice to have others, wouldn't it?”

 _No,_ Slaine wants to say, _I'm fine with just you._ Instead, he only frowns at that, gaze slipping to the small bowl of porridge before him.

“His friends are very kind,” she goes on, “They've invited me to go sightseeing at an aquarium.”

Sighing inwardly, Slaine slowly relaxes his grip on his spoon, letting it clatter against the edge of his bowl.

“You, too,” Asseylum says, causing his eyes to widen in surprise.

“Wh.. what?”

“You're invited, too,” the blonde says softly, continuing to smooth Slaine's hand, slowly but surely calming him, “I'd be very happy if you came.”

Slaine nods slightly, “Of.. course.”

* * *

 

“ _I didn't want to come_ ,” Slaine tells an annoyed Eddelrittuo in Russian, glaring at nothing in particular as he watches her gently tap on the glass, “ _She invited me. I can't believe you still aren't used to my presence after five years_.” They are standing near a tank full of tropical fish, most of which are brightly coloured. The fish swim around the tank quietly, although a few are gathered in front of Eddelrittuo, curious by the sounds.

“ _You were the one who came uninvited. I was with her first_ ,” Eddelrittuo retorts; she is Asseylum's handmaiden, having been trained since birth to assist the blonde. She does rather well at her job in spite of her age, and is able to balance school and work enough that she excels in both. Stopping for a moment, she gazes at a small, orange coloured fish, and taps her nail against the glass once more. It swims away at the sound.

“ _She invited me, and you know that,_ ” Slaine mumbles, clicking his tongue softly upon seeing Asseylum start to walk toward them. He pulls away from the tank, whispering, “Stop tapping on the glass.”

Eddelrittuo immediately stops, and instead gazes at the fish, light purple eyes narrowed as she inspects them.

Smiling happily as she approaches them, Asseylum looks visibly excited to be in a new place. In Russia, they had rarely been able to go out like this; they spent most of their time inside the manor. “Are you two enjoying yourselves?” she asks, stopping in front of Slaine. Her gaze shifts between the two, “The aquarium is wonderful, is it not?”

“It certainly has a lot of variety,” Slaine says carefully, smiling back at her. He ignores Eddelrittuo, who is currently frowning up at him in disapproval, and instead focuses his attention on Asseylum. “Why don't we go upstairs and feed the fish?” he suggests, “We can buy a big bag of feed. You'd like that, right?”

Asseylum's eyes widen in sheer delight, and she clasps her hands together, “We can do that?” She earns a small nod. “Yes, yes of course! I'd love that! I'll let the others know!” she exclaims, spinning back around and walking toward a black haired girl, _I think her name is Inko_ , and another blonde, _Nina, right?_ and speaks to them excitedly.

Eddelrittuo returns to tapping on the glass again once Asseylum is out of earshot, causing Slaine to groan inwardly.

“ _Stop that. You're going to get us kicked out,_ ” Slaine reprimands, stepping away from her in case any staff members come by. It would put a damper on _her_ mood if they were to get kicked out simply because _someone_ was acting childishly.

“Do you two always argue when she isn't near?”

The quiet question causes the duo to turn around instantly, Slaine paling when he sees that Inaho has been standing near them this whole time.

 _Oh, God damn it. He heard us,_ Slaine realises, taking an instinctive step backward.

“I don't understand Russian..” Inaho says slowly, and, for some reason, it feels as if that sentence is supposed to end with ' _yet_ ', “.. but it sounded like you two were bickering.”

Before Slaine can formulate a proper answer, _no, we weren't bickering_ , Eddelrittuo says, plainly, “We don't get along.”

The blond glares at her almost immediately, to which she only smirks up at him in response. “Damn it, Eddelrittuo,” he hisses, “You're supposed to keep that to yourself.”

She shrugs, turning her attention once more to the fish, “It isn't as if he is going to tell her. They get on rather well.”

“Don't tell her,” Slaine says, disregarding the brunette's comment, “ _Please_.”

Inaho blinks at the earnestness in the blond's voice, but slowly starts to nod, “That.. was never my intention. I would never purposely sully your relationship with her.”

Slaine breathes out softly, smiling just enough to show how grateful he is for that. “Thank you.”

_I.. suppose he isn't so apathetic as he seems.._

For the rest of their time at the aquarium, Inaho only quietly observes the rest of the group, and makes no mention of the incident to anyone.

* * *

 

Slaine is not sure when he starts to get upset over the smallest things.

He, quite literally, snaps.

Inaho is speaking to Asseylum, Inko, and Calm, as he usually does during their lunch hour, in that quiet, monotone voice of his, and the brunet is not doing anything wrong. They are merely talking amongst themselves, and Inaho does not even look invested in the conversation. He allows the others to talk more than he does, and is sitting almost silently at a desk.

He is not doing anything wrong, but..

_Snap!_

Blinking at the sound, the blond lowers his gaze to find that the pen he had been using is split in two, now. He relaxes his grip instantly, allowing the broken writing instrument to meet the desk, small pieces of plastic and coiled wires rolling onto the floor. The others do not seem to notice, allowing Slaine to exhale shakily as he collects the pieces and stores them all, save the ink holder, in his pocket.

_I don't understand._

* * *

 

“Slaine, have you come to like anyone?”

Blinking at the question, Slaine feels his face flush in a mixture of surprise and embarrassment. “N.. no,” he says, gazing at the blonde, “Why do you ask?”

Asseylum only smiles at him warmly, and does not offer up a verbal response to the question.

* * *

 

Slaine resists the urge to glare. He had gotten up only for a few minutes, to get some ice cream at the nearby booth, and had returned to find a group of girls sitting on the wooden bench he had been resting on. “I was..–”

A hand gently grabs his wrist, pulling him away from the bench.

“Please behave yourself,” a familiar voice murmurs.

The blond turns his head to find Inaho gazing at him, and allows the brunet to pull him toward a shaded area, where Inaho releases his arm.

“Were you really going to tell some middle schoolers to move?” Inaho questions, not seeming surprised. He has a hat on today, a sunhat with fabric flowers no doubt given to him by his older sister. The fabric flowers are distracting, brightly coloured, and look out of place on the brunet.

Slaine knows that much about the other, at least. “Middle schoolers are _not_ innocent,” he mumbles; both of them know how true that is to a certain extent. He huffs softly, and starts to eat his ice cream, glaring at nothing in particular.

“I have a towel we can sit on,” Inaho offers after a moment, “It's large enough for two people.”

The blond hesitates. He had not wanted to come to the beach today, had not wanted to stand out in the hot sun, had not wanted to put on potentially revealing clothing..

Asseylum was so excited, he did not know how to tell her 'no'.

“.. do you have an umbrella?” Slaine asks.

“Yes,” Inaho answers, nodding once.

Slaine sighs, and bites the top part of the cone. “Lead the way,” he murmurs.

 

 

 

Slaine had not realised it before when looking at the brunet, but Inaho is also wearing a sleeveless sweater rather than walking around with a standard swimming shirt or shirtless. “Why are you wearing a shirt?” he asks, causing Inaho to look over at him.

“Why are you?”

“That's.. – I asked first,” Slaine says, frowning at the other; he is still eating his ice cream, though only the large waffle cone is left. The actual cream turned to milk, and he finished that awhile ago. He has noticed that Inaho seems to mirror questions sometimes, if he does not want to immediately answer.

Inaho cocks his head, brown lingering on narrowed teal. “I burn easily,” he says after a second, bringing his legs to his chest, gesturing to a small patch of skin on his knee that has already begun to redden and darken, “It would be inconvenient if my chest or back were to get burned..”

 _Inconvenient.._ Slaine thinks, sighing softly, _Really, he is all about making things efficient and orderly.._

“What about you?” Inaho asks, again redirecting the question to the blond.

“I dislike showing more skin than necessary,” Slaine says automatically, the answer sounding far too rehearsed, too robotic to be genuine.

Despite that, Inaho does not press him further. He changes the subject completely: “If I give you money, will you go buy me an ice cream cone similar to the one you had?” Fumbling with something at his side – Slaine looks over his head to see that it is a small bag – he pulls out a wallet and some bills.

“If you give me enough for two, I will.”

 

 

 

“.. have to be more careful,” Slaine hears a feminine voice mumble, causing him to raise his head slightly.

He blinks in surprise upon seeing Inko applying some blue hued ointment to Inaho's face and neck, fussing over him like a mother hen, or a lo–..

The thought causes Slaine to almost crush one of the innocent cones in his grasp – he loosens his grip just enough that he is instead holding it firmly and not close to snapping it in half like he did his pen the other week.

He is upset because his spot has been taken _once again_.

.. that is what he tells himself, at least. He has no idea why he has been getting so easily flustered lately.

“Excuse me,” Slaine says not-so-politely as he approaches the duo, keeping his features as blank as he can, “I was sitting there.”

“Ah! I'm sorry,” Inko apologises with a sheepish grin. Pulling away from the brunet, she picks up a small bottle, closes it and deposits back into a small bag beside her. “You can apply the rest, Inaho. Your sister doesn't want you burning again.” The black haired girl gets up and walks away slowly, presumably joining the others back in the sea. She leaves her bag behind, as well as her shoes, and Slaine does not move until she is out of sight.

Inaho watches the blond carefully, taking the cone Slaine offers him after nearly a minute of standing in place. “Thank you,” he murmurs, blinking in surprise when Slaine sits himself down rather closely, their thighs almost touching.

“Tell people to stop taking my spot,” Slaine mumbles, annoyance and.. something else laced within his tone.

Inaho rubs the ointment in with his free hand, shutting his eye when his fingers get too close. “Alright.”

* * *

 

_A lover._

That was what he had almost thought upon seeing Inaho and Inko so close together, and he has not been able to stop thinking about it since.

It is none of his business, should not bother him as much as it does, but he cannot help but be agitated by the notion of Inaho dating someone.

_Someone other than.._

Dismissing the thought, Slaine's nails dig roughly into the innocuous pillow at his side,the pillow cover thankfully too thick for it to be damaged.

It is absolutely none of his business if Inaho Kaizuka decides he wants to date someone.

* * *

 

When Inaho starts acting _off_ , Slaine notices.

He is not quite sure _why_ he notices, they have gotten closer these past few months, but certainly not close enough for the blond to notice minute, barely noticeable changes in the brunet's face..

_.. right?_

 

 

 

Inaho offered to help him with a research paper he has due later this month, but the brunet does not seem at all invested in actually assisting him.

 _He's been staring at me for the past five minutes.._ Slaine thinks, trying to keep himself calm under Inaho's surprisingly harsh gaze; it feels like the brunet is going to bore a hole in his head. He continues to read aloud from the papers in his hands, only trailing off when Inaho finally seems to be back on Earth. “.. planetary locations indicate that the next..” he murmurs, stopping completely when he sees the brunet lose interest once again. “Are you even listening to me?” he demands, earning no response.

_Ah.._

Now, he is annoyed. “Inaho?” he calls, frowning at the other.

“Mm?” Inaho blinks at Slaine's voice, and looks a bit surprised when he realises the blond is upset with him.

“You _weren't_ listening to me,” Slaine says, annoyed, disappointed, and hurt all at the same time.

He knows he should not be – Inaho often spaces out, but he still feels miffed.

“ _You_ were the one who offered to help me proofread my essay. If you aren't going to..–”

“I'm sorry,” Inaho interrupts, voice quiet and sincere, “I'll pay attention.”

Slaine feels his eyes widen just for a moment, cheeks darkening somewhat at the earnest apology.

_I suppose.. this one time is.._

He brushes a tuft of near-white hair out of his face, and returns to reading his paper, grip tightening on the fragile pages, “The current planetary locations indicate that the next alignment of planets will be..”

* * *

 

 _He's doing it again.._ Slaine thinks, having been silent for a little over two minutes now. He stopped reading when he realised he had lost Inaho's attention.

Inaho still has not noticed; his brown eyes are glazed over, expression even harder to read than usual despite being deep in thought, and his fingers rap quietly against the desk, incessant and far too loud in the near-silent room.

Annoyed again, Slaine crosses his arms against his chest as he frowns at the brunet, _This is getting ridiculous_. His grip on his papers tighten, crumpling slightly against his arms. “Inaho.”

Inaho looks up almost immediately, guilt flickering in his eyes. The rapping stops.

“What did I just say?” Slaine asks, knowing full well that the answer is _nothing_ – but Inaho does not.

“.. I apologise.”

Sighing at the response, Slaine places his papers down on the shared desk between them, and sits himself down. He stares at the other, not quite angry anymore, but just the faintest bit concerned. His paper can wait, he still has nearly two weeks left to work on it. “Are you angry?” he asks.

The look he gets, the confusion that flickers across Inaho's features just for a moment is enough of an answer. “No,” Inaho says, “Why would you think that?”

 _It doesn't seem like he's lying.._ “Upset, then,” Slaine says, changing the emotion, “Are you upset about something?”  _It has to be something._

Inaho has never acted this way before, so bothered, so distracted.

And he only knows that _something_ is wrong because he has put so much effort into discovering the different ways the brunet shows emotion. He does not know why he did, why he put the extra effort in, but thanks to that, he has learned things he otherwise would have never known.

“I'm not upset, no,” Inaho murmurs. He pulls his hand off of his desk, seemingly realising he had been making noise, and rests it on his lap with his other hand.

“But something is clearly bothering you. You've been off your game this past week. Normally, listening would prove easy for you, given you speak so little. But you haven't been able to focus. What's such a nuisance that even _you_ can't even find easy to bottle up?”

Inaho's brown eyes glaze over again, and for just a second, he looks pained.

“Inaho?” Slaine calls, leaning forward just a bit.

Inaho inhales sharply, “Yes?”

Pursing his lips as he pulls away, Slaine simply stares at the brunet.  _This setting isn't going to work._

He starts to pack up his things, grabbing his papers and placing them neatly into the small folder that rests on the desk between them.

“What are you..–” Inaho starts to ask.

“Shush,” Slaine interrupts, leaning down to grab his back. He pulls it up onto the table and places the folder in it..

“Slaine..–” Inaho tries again.

“Let's go to my place,” Slaine says, cutting him off. Standing up, he slings his bag over his shoulder, and starts to walk out of the classroom. “I'm starting to get hungry, and there are no snacks here.”

A lie, but then again, Inaho does not know that either.

He glances backward, and hides a smile when he sees that Inaho has grabbed his own bag.

“Alright.”

 

 

 

Inaho Kaizuka had the _audacity_ to ask if he needed help preparing dinner.

Slaine had promptly answered, “No.” He turns his head to frown at the brunet, knowing that _yes, Inaho is actually an able cook, but this is_ my _house and_ I _will prepare dinner._ He decided to make something easy and simple, but would give ample enough time to allow him to find out just what in the world is bothering the brunet. Currently, he is chopping up potatoes and setting them in a pot of boiling water when he has finished cutting them up. The fish is already seasoned and is cooking on the grill at a low heat.

“.. are you reading the book I gave you?”

The question comes out suddenly, without warning.

“The recipe one?” Slaine questions, pausing, “I read it every now and then.”

_That came out of nowhere._

Turning to look at Inaho again, he murmurs, “You've been spacey lately. More than usual.”  _And, I want to know if you're okay._

Slaine sets his knife down and steps away from the counter, causing Inaho to look up at him. He sits beside the brunet, and asks, “Are you sick?”

“I'm.. not sick, no,” Inaho answers, looking a bit surprised at the question.

“Is your eye hurting again?”

“My eye is fine. It hasn't hurt in a few weeks. The paint was cleaned out soon enough to stop any permanent damage.”

 _Ah, good,_ Slaine thinks, breathing out softly in relief. “Why are you bothered, then?” he asks, watching as Inaho stiffens at the question.

The brunet hesitates. “Can I tell you at the end of this week? Saturday?”

Slaine's breath hitches.

“I need to think about my answer. I don't want it to come out wrong.”

 _That sounds like.._ Biting down on his bottom lip, Slaine feels his heart rise to his throat.  _He sounds like he's.._

He nods suddenly, once, twice, and then looks away. “That's fine,” he says, voice barely above a whisper. He nods a third time, “Just.. don't think too hard about it. You'll end up hurting yourself.”

He fails to notice the corner of Inaho's lips twitch.

* * *

 

Inaho dutifully pays attention to everything Slaine says for the rest of the week, responds, offers help.

Slaine does not bring up the conversation again.

* * *

 

When Saturday arrives, Slaine feels as if he is going to be sick.

Despite telling Inaho not to think too hard about whatever it is he is going to say, Slaine has been _agonising_ over it, and he has made himself almost sick with worry and fear. He even lost a few hours of sleep over the ordeal, his worries keeping him up late in the night.

“Are you sure you don't want to sit down?” Inaho asks, causing Slaine to look up.

“I'm fine,” he says, shaking his head. He realises he has been gripping the straps on his bag far too tightly, and loosens his grip, exhaling shakily upon feeling – or rather, the lack of feeling – his fingertips go numb. “Just – just get on with it already. What's been bothering you?” He stares at the brunet, listening to him quietly clear his throat.

“I have something to tell you, then.”

“I figured as much, Orange,” Slaine mumbles, “Please just..–”

“Wait,” Inaho says quickly, holding a hand up.

 _My God, this is torture,_ Slaine thinks.

“What I say may very likely change how you feel about me. You could come to despise me. Do you still want to hear it?” Inaho asks quietly, looking almost.. _worried_.

The blond feels his heart flip in his throat.  _Why are_ you _worried?_

Gaze slipping, he bites his bottom lip, trying to find the words to properly convey his concern, “I.. doubt you would say something so horrible and thoughtless that it would make me hate you. But you're dense enough to say something that would unintentionally piss me off.. even so, I don't think you would brood over something for so long only to upset me. So.. say it.”  _Because if you don't, I'll probably go mad._

“I've realised recently that I have feelings for someone. Romantic feelings.”

 _A-ah.._ Slaine's face goes red, and he raises a hand to cover his mouth. His gaze immediately slips to the ground under him.  _He's.._

“Slaine?” Inaho calls; the blond feels a hand on his shoulder.

“Oh my _God_!” he says, raising his head, tears stinging his eyes.  _He's.._

Inaho pulls away from him, and Slaine raises his other hand to cover his mouth, laughter escaping his lips.

_This isn't.._

Crouching down on the ground, Slaine gasps weakly for air, tears blurring his vision. The laughter is painful, suffocating, and he does not understand why he is responding this way. He coughs into his hands, heart still caught in his throat, vision still obscured by hot tears.

_.. this isn't funny._

“Why..–” He raises his head to look up at the other, knowing he looks like a mess with his red face and his broken laughter, “Why were you..” He coughs again, and slowly stands back up, and realises he is _smiling_.  _Why am I.._ “Why were you brooding over something like.. like _that_?” he asks, wiping the tears from his eyes. The question comes out accusatory; he had not meant it to be. “I.. never imagined you'd be able to act like that, but I suppose you _are_ normal. Who is it, then? Who has you all out of sorts?”

He asks, but he really does _not_ want to know. Right now, it feels like his heart is already going to crack and shatter and _hurt_.

_Because, if he were to date someone other than.._

Inaho stares at the blond, looking completely serious, unaffected by Slaine's odd outburst. “It's you,” he finally says.

 _E-eh..?_ Slaine feels his smile slip in shock, “Wh.. what..?”

“I like _you_ , Slaine,” Inaho repeats.

Slaine goes silent.  _This whole time, he.. I was worried for.._

“ _I'm_ the one you've been agonising over?” he whispers, voice quiet, shaky.

“Yes,” Inaho says, still sounding and looking completely and utterly serious.

_I don't believe you._

“What do you – what do you like about me?” he asks slowly. He nervously licks his lips, realising they have gone dry, and swallows a hard ball of disbelief.  _I don't.. believe.._

Inaho does not hesitate in his response. “I like the way you smile when you think no one is looking,” he says softly, taking a step toward the blond, “I like how your eyes light up when you're enjoying something. I like seeing you _happy_.”

Slaine counters with an instinctive step backward, because despite his worries and fears dissipating, _I still don't believe you._ “I'm.. not an agreeable person. It's hard to get along with me.” His voice is still shaking, like a child whose parents promised not to be angry so long as they spoke their concerns.  _There's nothing to.. to like about me.. Why would you like_ me _? I've been.. I'm not good enough for.._

“We can make it work, if that's what you want,” Inaho says, voice still unreasonably quiet and gentle and _it isn't fair, this isn't fair._

Slaine's shoulders drop, body slowly relaxing without his permission. “I wouldn't make a very good lover. I'm not very trusting,” he whispers.  _I can't even trust my body not to betray me._

“We'll take it as slow or as fast as you want. I don't mind either way,” Inaho promises, not seeming at all affected by the negative, harsh words escaping the blond's lips. If anything, he seems just as determined to make sure Slaine does in fact believe every word he says.

Slaine almost smiles. _Almost._ “I could get bored. I could leave you,” he taunts.

“If I make you happy even for a short time, I would be content.”

He cannot help it – Slaine finally allows himself to smile at the brunet. He is relieved, happy, guilty, and so _so relieved._ “You really don't mind,” he whispers, realising that nothing he could have said would have affected Inaho's resolve. Because Inaho is just as stubborn, just as determined, and he already has his mind made up.

“I don't,” Inaho murmurs, “I'd like to be the one to make you happy, Slaine.”

Laughing, Slaine nods somewhat, and finally raises his head to meet Inaho's dark eyes. _I.._  “I.. accept, then, Inaho Kaizuka. I believe the term here is, ' _I'm in your hands, now_ '?” he asks, voice still quiet, soft, but now full of relief and joy.

_I believe you._

**Author's Note:**

> I really wanted to write a few snippets and piece together different parts of a few events that led to Slaine falling for Inaho, and.. came up with this. I know it's all over the place, and it's supposed to be, but I do apologise if it's kinda messy.. .///. I also wanted to write slightly from Slaine's POV for the last bit, and rewrote some of Inaho's confession to reflect what Slaine was thinking and felt..


End file.
